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Sunday, August 19, 2012

A Lovely Weekend to Welcome 28

What a fabulous weekend for a birthday. On Friday I celebrated my 28th and basically continued to celebrate all weekend-- with my wonderful husband, great friends, gorgeous weather, and some really good food. I'm not usually big on celebrating my own birthday, but I really couldn't have asked for a better one (except, of course, for my 26th when I received a diamond ring, but more on that later). Here are some photos of our wonderful weekend. Hope you enjoyed yours as well!

A Squared

On Friday night Alex took me to dinner at Mindy's Hot Chocolate in Wicker Park. I have always wanted to try this place and what better occasion to to try a restaurant known for its desserts than my birthday? I had this amazing chocolate souffle and Alex ordered the key lime pie-- his all time favorite.

Oh, and if you were wondering about my gift-- he gave me the Clarisonic gift set. Thanks for your comments on this product, girls!

chocolate souffle with salted caramel ice cream

key lime pie

After dinner we met up with my bestie Alexis for some cocktails and amazing/hysterical people watching in Wicker Park. Alex is always such a good sport to put up with listening to the two of us. :)

BFFs

Some birthday bubbly

On Saturday our friend Mike invited us out on his boat to watch the annual Chicago Air & Water Show. Confession time: In the 4 summers that I have lived in Chicago I have never actually watched it. Shame on me! We had the perfect weather for the show and watching it from the vantage point of the boat (basically right under the planes) made it even more exciting.

With the nice weather (meaning not 98 degrees and 100% humidity) we decided to grill out and enjoy a relaxed romantic dinner on our balcony. It was the perfect night for it and I am hoping we'll get a few more chances to dine al fresco before fall arrives.

A little caprese amuse-bouche

Date night on our balcony

On Sunday I met up with Kit from TheKittchen for a post-wedding married girls brunch. It was great to catch up and share a few wedding war stories. :)

And just when you thought the eating was over, Alex and I spent the afternoon on two more City Walks on the Northside (more on those later) and decided to make a stop at Lucky's Sandwich Company in Wrigleyville. We'd seen it on Man Vs. Food and it has been on Alex's list of extreme food venues to try. Their shtick is that your whole meal (coleslaw and fries) is stuffed inside your sandwich. I'm still in a bit of a food coma.

For our dinner date night at home Alex grilled some steaks and squash (STILL left over from my mom's Michigan farm stand bounty!) and I made a roasted potato salad based on a recipe that I found on Pinterest. It was filling, but still pretty light. A great summer side dish!

Roasted Potato Salad with Lemon Yogurt DressingIngredients:

2 pounds fingerling potatoes, roughly diced

2 celery stalks, diced

2 green onions, diced

4 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil, divided

3 Tbs. fat free Greek plain yogurt

2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

1/2 Tbs. fresh thyme leaves, chopped

1 Tbs. fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400. Toss the diced potatoes with 2 Tbs. oil and a
good pinch of salt and pepper on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast for 30-35
minutes, flipping halfway through.

Remove from oven and let cool about 15 minutes in a large bowl. Then add the celery and green onions.

In the meantime, whisk together the remaining 2 Tbs. oil, yogurt,
lemon juice and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Pour dressing over the roasted potatoes, add thyme and parsley to the bowl, and toss to coat.Recipe derived from original courtesy of Bev Cooks.

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A Squared is all about life, love, and the pursuit of great food here in the fabulous city of Chicago. I love food: both cooking (it's my therapy) and trying new restaurants. You can also find me exploring Chicago, traveling, drinking wine, studying architecture, and spending time with my husband, friends & family. And I will share it all with you here.
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